T
///////// 2021 NRCHA SNAFFLE BIT FUTURITY
HE WEIGHT OF THE RIDE
More than only Justin Wright rode on Zak 34’s back, as the stallion earned incredible scores on his way to the Open Champion win.
2021 NRCHA OPEN ® SNAFFLE BIT FUTURITY
By Kate Bradley Byars Photos by Primo Morales
PRESENTED BY METALLIC CAT
TOP 10
T
Fort Worth, TX – October 7-23, 2021 Horse/Rider/Pedigree/Owner/Score/Money
he 2021 National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Finals on Saturday, October 23, at the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, might go down as the loudest and the most intense in many years. A clear front-runner didn’t emerge until the last set of cow work. When Darren Moore called out an incredible judge’s score of 226 for Zak 34 and NRCHA Million Dollar Rider Justin Wright’s fence run, it was clear who would add an Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion to his résumé. “I’ve had dreams of this for as long as I can remember. It’s consumed my life to win the Snaffle Bit Futurity,” said Wright of Santa Maria, California. “It’s emotional, but it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.” Wright has been close to winning the championship before, taking the Open Reserve Champion title in 2018 aboard Scooter Kat. This year he had three Open Futurity Finalists in the field of 30 horses. The cream of that crop was “Zak.” At the 2020 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Sales®, Wright saw a 2-year-old named, at that time, R Tuff Diggin Louie (Woody Be Tuff x Cats Dig Lucinda x High Brow Cat), bred by Center Ranch, go through the sale pen and something made him speak to the buyer, Melissa “Missy” Fischer of Wagner, South Dakota. “I didn’t recognize her, and I asked if she had a trainer. One thing lead to another and he came home with us,” Wright said. What drove Fischer to attend the sale was a need to be in an environment that felt “second nature,” she says. In reality, the mother had just lost her son, Seth.
74 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 | REINED COW HORSE NEWS
®
1. Zak 34; Justin Wright; 18S (Woody Be Tuff x Cat Digs Lucinda x High Brow Cat); Melissa Fischer; 670 (H:221/R:223/C:226); $125,000. 2. Jule Smart Rey; Dustin Mills; 18G (Dual Smart Rey x Soula Jule Forever x Soula Jule Star); Shawna Miller; 666.5 (H:222/R:219/C:225.5); $100,000. 3. SJR Royal Diamond; Justin Wright; 18S (One Time Royalty x Shiners Diamond Girl x Shining Spark); San Juan Ranch; 664 (H:219/R:220.5/C:224.5); $75,000. 4. Juliette Jonez; Sarah Dawson; 18M (Travelin Jonez x Shine Smarter x WR This Cats Smart); Linda Mars; 663 (H:216.5/R:223.5/C:223); $50,000. 5. Chittchatt; Chris Dawson; 18G (Smooth Talkin Style x Bet On Nurse x Bet On Me 498); Russ Mothershead; 661.5 (H:216/R:218.5/C:227); $40,000. 6. Metallic Casanova; Clay Volmer; 18S (Metallic Cat x Dark And Sultry x Spots Hot); Sandra Kuntz; 660.5 (H:218.5/R:222.5/C:219.5); $35,000. 7. Boons Sticky Spot; Todd Crawford; 18M (Once In A Blu Boon x Sticky Spot x Spots Hot); Matacorp LTD; 655 (H:215/R:218/C:222); $30,000. 8. Metallic Little Lena; B.J. Avila; 18G (Metallic Cat x TF SmartLittleLinda x Smart Little Lena); Lorri Hollister; 654.5 (H:211.5/R:221/C:222); $25,000. 9. Major Adams; Shane Steffen; 18G (Hickory Holly Time x Dueling Chic Olena x Smart Chic Olena); McSpyder Ranch; 654 (H:218.5/R:220/C:215.5); $23,000. 10. Metallic Daisy Dukes; Todd Bergen; 18M (Metallic Cat x Scooters Daisy Dukes x Dual Smart Rey); Bit Of Heaven Ranch; 653 (H:214.5/ R:221.5/C:217); $21,000.
